Aeryon Labs Inc., a leader in small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAVs), has announced that Toronto-based Industrial SkyWorks (ISW), a leader in aerial building inspections using unmanned technologies, is the first commercial operator to be approved for nighttime operations in the United States.

The Aeryon SkyRanger is named as the sUAS that will be deployed to capture the visual evidence of where a building is losing energy or needs repair, especially in areas that are difficult to access, such as a roof.

ISW has been successfully operating the Aeryon SkyRanger under the Tremco Roofing SkyBEAM brand in Canada over the past 18 months.

Infrared scanning is most effective at night, when the sun cannot affect the temperature of the building. Traditional infrared scans require technicians to walk rooftops at night, while other inspections dictate working from scaffolding or cranes.

SkyBEAM is safer, faster, more cost effective and more accurate than conventional methods of inspecting and mapping buildings.

“This recent exemption by the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] is extremely positive for Industrial SkyWorks, Tremco Roofing and maintenance and for commercial operations in general,” said Aeryon Labs president and CEO, Dave Kroetsch. “We are excited that Industrial SkyWorks is the first commercial company to conduct nighttime inspections with the Aeryon SkyRanger in the U.S.

“Aeryon sUAS have been deployed for nighttime missions in search and rescue and other mission-critical applications for years and this shows that the market and the FAA continue to broaden the uses for the technology.”

“We appreciate the significance of this new approval,” said Michael Cohen, president, Industrial SkyWorks. “We regard this as an opportunity to help define best practices and set the standard for nighttime inspection applications. Working with Aeyron Labs will help demonstrate to the FAA and the broader UAS industry that unmanned aerial data capture continues to have many benefits for the commercial market.”